Spanning the Pearl Delta

When it comes to relations between Hong Kong and its neighbors in Guangdong, "one country, two systems" adds up to three times the bureaucracy. A perfect example is the long-delayed Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge. First proposed by Hong Kong developer Gordon Wu in 1983, the bridge was mired in cross-border politics for years, but SARS and a lengthy economic slump in Hong Kong have changed that. Last week, officials from Hong Kong and Guangdong announced that a bridge-building task force would meet at the end of August—the last step before seeking a formal go-ahead from Beijing, which has all but approved the...